Oh look! A TITLE!
by SHNfanyay
Summary: it's an EscaflowneInuyasha crossover...i haven't seen too many of those, so i'm making one. I don't know about parings thus far, but i doubt i'm going to put Kiko in this fic. Kagome is Van's sister, and they leave Earth...SesshouMaru's there, and I suck
1. First Chapter

Escaflowne/Inuyasha  
  
Ch1  
  
Inuyasha and co. were walking east when Inuyasha and Kirara started growling, and Shippou ran to Kagome's shoulder. Inuyasha answered their question before it was even asked, "Dragon. Kagome, do you feel any shards."  
Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated, just to be sure, and felt nothing, "No."  
"Good, I don't wanna have to deal with a dragon. Lets go north for now." Inuyasha said as he started walking north. The others followed suit.  
Later that night, when they had set up camp, Kagome couldn't get to sleep. As she stared up at the stars, all she could think of was the first time she had ever heard about dragons. It was before she had met her adoptive family, before she had even come to Earth.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
A six year old Kagome was watching her older brother train for his upcoming test. He had been very good, so nobody thought that he would fail. When he was finished, he looked over and saw her, "Kagome, why aren't you in bed? It's late and you should get to sleep."  
"I'm sorry Folken-sama, but I just couldn't get to sleep. I'm scared."  
He knelt down in front of her, "Why are you scared?"  
"I had a bad dream. You were fighting, and didn't win. Your arm got bitten off by this big green thing, and I had to make sure that it was just a dream."  
"Do you think I'm going to loose?"  
"No! Of course not, you can never loose Folken-sama!"  
He chuckled, "Do you know what test I'm going to take?"  
"No."  
Folken picked up Kagome, and was walking towards her room, "Well, the oldest living son of the Royal Family of Fenalia (sp?) have to take slay a dragon and take it's heart."  
"Why it's heart?"  
"We use a dragon's heart to power Escaflowne. But, if I don't make it, Van will have to."  
"And, if he doesn't, I will have to try?"  
Folken laughed a little, "Sorry, Kagome-chan, but you can't."  
"Why not?"  
"You're a girl. But don't worry I won't fail."  
"You promise?" Kagome had a pleading look in her eyes.  
"Yes, I promise. Well, I'll be leaving before you wake up tomorrow, so bye."  
"Good luck."  
  
~*End Flashback*~  
  
'That was the last time I ever saw him. Then, when mother and I went looking, the fates sent me here. Folken-sama, where are you? Well, if you can't slay a dragon, then I will do it for you. To prove that I can, but mostly, in some small way, to avenge your death.' Kagome made sure that everyone was asleep before she got her bow, and a quiver of arrows. Then, she started walking back towards the dragon Inuyasha had smelt earlier.  
When Kagome got to it, it noticed her almost immediately. It lunged, she dodged and it went like that for a little while. Then, once again, it lunged for her, and she jumped to the side, and ran behind it. There was it's open spot, so Kagome shot it with an arrow. The dragon gave out a shriek of pain before collapsing. As it lay still on the ground, Kagome looked to the sky. Or more specifically, the planet she once called home, Gaea (sp?).  
"See, Folken-sama, I can do it. So why couldn't you?" She asked, tears forming in her eyes. Then, she walked over to the dragon's dead body, "Sorry, but I have to do this." She took an arrow, and used the tip of it to cut a slit where the dragon's heart would be. Then, she put her hand in, grabbed the heart, and pulled it out. The dragon's body seemed to evaporate after it's heart was gone.  
Smiling at her accomplishment, she started to return to camp. Before she could even make it out of the clearing, she heard someone say her name. She turned around to see Inuyasha looking at her, "What?"  
The henyou growled, "What do you mean 'what'?! You wonder off in the middle of the night, kill a dragon, and take it's heart out! I WAS WORRIED!"  
"You, were worried about me?" Kagome's hopes were starting to rise. 'Maybe he really dose care about me.'  
"I uh.........." Inuyasha couldn't get any words out. 'Damn, how am I suppose to tell her how I feel?! I HATE THIS LOVE THING!' "Of course I was worried, if you died I wouldn't have a shard detector! Besides, why did you take it's heart, and who's 'Folken'?"  
"I don't want to talk about it. And it's Folken-SAMA" Kagome said as she turned around, and ran back to camp. Inuyasha sighed, and returned as well.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Folken was standing in the floating fortress, watching the fight between Van and Dilandau (sp?). He had seen him try to sneak up on Van, and heard as the girl was able to warn him. 'Her showing up was no coincidence. She must have known somehow. Kagome knew about what was going to my arm, but I never listened. That girl that is traveling with Van, she was the one that warned Allen of the attack Dilandau lead. She knows something.'  
Folken jumped down, and crept up behind the girl. After covering her mouth, he knocked her out, using an injection from his index finger. (like he did with Van, when they first met up in the jail cell) Once the girl was asleep, he started to walk away with her in his arms. But they were surrounded by an odd blue light, and he felt himself, and the girl, being lifted off the ground.  
The last thing he heard was Van calling for someone, probebly the girl, "HITOME!!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome hadn't spoken throughout the entire morning, and it was starting to creep Sango out. She knew that something was wrong, and didn't want to be the first to say something, but she couldn't help it, "What happened last night?"  
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked as she turned to Sango.  
"Last night, you two are fine, now you're not speaking with each other. What happened?"  
Inuyasha spoke with his 'I'm-so-pissy' tone of voice, "Feh, the wench decided to play with a dragon."  
Sango looked at Kagome, "Why put yourself in danger like that? What if Inuyasha didn't come to save you?" She was starting to worry about her friend's sanity.  
Kagome glared at Sango, "Inuyasha DIDN'T save me, I killed it myself!"  
"Yeah, and took the heart!" Inuyasha added.  
Shippou stared at her wide eyed, "You TOOK the dragon's heart?!"  
"Yeah."  
Miroku joined the conversation, "Kagome-sama, why did you take it's heart."  
Kagome was getting uncomfortable with all of the stares that she was getting that seemed to say 'you-are-crazy' "I don't want to talk about it." was her only reply. 'How can I tell them that I'm not from this planet? Or that I was kicked out of my home?'  
That answer wasn't good enough for Inuyasha and, as he was about to say something, they all heard a scream. They all ran in the direction of the shout, forgetting the subject they were just talking about.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Folken awoke to see that he was in a forest. He looked around and noticed that the girl was still sleeping a few feet away from him. 'Where am I?' he thought as he looked around. Never before had he seen a place like this. It had trees everywhere, but they were shorter than the ones he saw at home. He also noticed that the place had strange animals running about, and climbing up trees. (squirrels) He heard some rustling in the grass behind him, and turned around to see the girl was starting to wake.  
When Hitome opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the face of the man who tossed Van his sword. 'Van called him, brother didn't he?' she sat up, and saw something behind the man. It was a wolf, and two guys. They both seemed to be wearing wolf skins and armor, and one had a white mow- hawk, while the other had gray hair surrounding a stripe of black. So, she did the first thing that came into her mind, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
But, surprisingly enough, they yelled back. So now everyone, except the wolf and Folken, were screaming.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Inuyasha was the first to arrive to the scene of a girl, with an outfit similar to Kagome's, screaming along with Ginta and Hakkaku, and a tall man with short bluish hair that stuck up on top and hung down his to shoulders in back. He also had a purple tear-drop under his right eye. Inuyasha was getting sick of the yelling, so he stopped it the only way he knew how, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!"  
They all stopped and looked at him. The girl gave out another scream, but (lucky for Inuyasha) Kagome, who just now showed up with the others, ran right past Inuyasha to comfort her. "Hitome-san, is that you?"  
"Kagome-san?"  
"Yeah."  
Inuyasha saw the man's eyes widen at the name, and watched as he backed away into the forest. Although Inuyasha couldn't see him, he could tell that the man left because his scent was fading. Inuyasha noticed another scent that was doing just the opposite. 'Damn wolf! If you don't leave soon, he'll show up and then Kagome might actually leave with him.' "We have to go, Kagome."  
Hitome looked from her friend (they've known each other since childhood) to the man with dog-ears, and then to the people behind him, "Kagome-san, who are your friends?"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Folken walked until he found a nice cave to rest in, 'Could it really be her? My little sister, Kagome? But I thought she disappeared........................or maybe she was just moved. I can't tell her who I am, can I? What if she's mad at me for never returning. I know that Van doesn't like me, but what of her? They always were very different. I think I'll tell her when the time is right...................................................................but not now.'  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Before Kagome could answer, SesshouMaru showed up. He paid no attention to anyone except Inuyasha, and his Tetseiga. Jaken was standing behind him trying to mimic his lord's regal stance, and failing miserably. And running up to Kagome was the little girl that Kagome had come think of as a little sister, Rin. Kagome often comforted the small child whenever the two brothers fought.  
Once Rin was safely by Kagome's side, SesshouMaru spoke, "If you wish to live, I suggest you hand over the Tetseiga."  
"Feh. Hell no!" And Inuyasha charged SesshouMaru, starting their battle.  
Hitome watched them battle, neither actually on top. It seemed to be an even match. She looked at Kagome who was watching this as thought it was a normal thing. The little girl was clinging to Kagome's legs, also watching the two men go at each other. "Kagome-san, why are they fighting?"  
"Well, the one with the cute ears is Inuyasha, and the one with that fluffy tail thing is SesshouMaru-"  
"SesshouMaru-SAMA." Said Rin.  
"Yes, well, they are fighting over the sword that Inuyasha is using, Tetseiga. SesshouMaru-"  
Rin once again cut her off, "Kagome-san, it's SesshouMaru-SAMA!"  
"Fine, SesshouMaru-sama was upset that their father gave the sword to Inuyasha and not him." Kagome noticed the questioning look that Hitome was giving her, so she answered the unsaid question that the girl was most likely thinking, "They're brothers."  
The words "HALF-brothers!" were heard from both of the fighters.  
"But, if they're related, they have no reason to fight." Hitome didn't like the idea of brothers fighting. 'Wait! Didn't Van's brother grab me? Where is he?'  
SesshouMaru punched Inuyasha, sending him flying towards Hitome. Kagome saw this, and pushed Hitome out of the way, getting hit by Inuyasha's body. She began to fall off of the cliff that they were on (for convenience). Rin tried to stop her fall, but was pulled down due to the weight difference between the child, and the older girl.  
  
(P.S. I know that Koga was mentioned, he WILL show up, very soon I might add) 


	2. Second Chapter

Ch2  
  
Rin was falling, in the arms of Kagome, who was able to grab hold of her once they were both off the ground. Rin was crying, and Kagome held her tighter, "Rin-chan, do you trust me?" Rin looked up at her sister-figure, and nodded. Kagome smiled and said, "Then, I want you to hold on to me as tight as you can, and don't squirm of struggle."  
Rin nodded, and did as she was told. To say that the next events shocked the child would be an understatement. Great white wings came out from Kagome's back, tearing off her shirt. She flapped them, lifting Rin, and herself, to the safety of the cliff they were just on.  
Upon seeing Kagome go over the cliff-side, Inuyasha attacked SesshouMaru in a blind rage. He didn't notice that she had come back, but his half-brother did. SesshouMaru stopped for a second when he saw his ward being brought back onto the ground by his brothers human wench. 'How can a human have wings?'  
Inuyasha, still not noticing Kagome, took this second to charge SesshouMaru, and was stopped a half-second before, by the prayer beads around his neck pulling him down, and the sound of Kagome's voice yelling, "SIT BOY!".  
The first thing out of the henyou's mouth was, "What the hell was that for, bitch!" Then, realization of what just happened struck him, and (as soon as the spell wore off) he got up, and ran to Kagome, "You didn't die!"  
Kagome smiled, and put Rin down. The child ran to her guardian, who was still studying Kagome. "Sorry I worried you, Inuyasha." she said, as she covered her chest with her wings. (Miroku was there, enough said about that.)  
That's the point in time when Inuyasha noticed said wings, "What in the seven hells are those?! What are you?!"  
"Yes, Kagome-sama, I too am curious about the wings you now retain." Miroku said, as he felt one of the feathers.  
Unfortunately for the monk, said feather happened to be covering her chest. "HENTAI!" Both Sango, and Kagome, yelled as they hit him in the head. Sango turned to Kagome, "Is there something that you would like to share with the rest of us, Kagome-chan?"  
Rin tugged on SesshouMaru's pants, thus getting his attention, "Is Kagome-san an angel?"  
"I do not know Rin, why don't you ask her yourself?" In all honesty, SesshouMaru was curious to know, he just didn't show it. (or anything else for that matter.)  
Ginta's eyes were the size of frisbees, "Sister? Is that really you."  
"Yeah, who else would it be?"  
Then the arrogant wolf prince, otherwise known as Kouga, showed up, "Inukurro, what did you do to my woman?!"  
Kagome sighed, 'this is going to take a while' "I'm not your woman Kouga." So, Kagome's companions continued to interrogate her about her wings, while Rin, and Shippou, starred on. SesshouMaru decided to stay a while to find some answers.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Folken heard Kagome, and a young girl scream. He rushed back to where they were to help. By the time he got there, he saw Kagome flying up with the child. He watched as another person showed up, and they all started to ask her things. 'She looks crowded down there. And nervous. It's not hard to blame her after what happened the last time she showed her wings.'  
He was standing on a tree branch, and brought his own wings out, but only enough to pull out a feather, and toss it to Kagome.  
She caught it, and looked at him, "Folken-sama?" He nodded, so Kagome jumped/flew (kind of) up to him, and hugged him. "FOLKEN-SAMA! I thought I'd never see you again!" Tears were flowing down her face, "After the blue light, I didn't know where I was, and I got so scared! And I thought that you died, but you didn't! I knew that no dragon could beat you!"  
Folken let her hug him, but couldn't reassure her of his victory. He heard growling noises, and looked down to see the man with dog ears, the baby fox, and the wolf-man with the ponytail, snarling at him. He then heard three yells at the same time. It sounded like, "Let go of Kagome!", "Leave my mother alone" , and, "Get away from MY woman."  
Kagome ignored them, and waited for him to tell her that he had, indeed, slain the dragon. When none came she looked up at him, "You did slay it, right?" Still no answer, "Folken-sama, please don't tell me that you ran away." He simply looked at her with sorrow-filled eyes. She released him, "Folken-sama, how can you run away from that?! How can you abandon Van and me, or mother. Or................................................or, Fenalia?"  
Hitome spoke up from the background, "Fenalia is no more. It burnt down."  
"How can that be true?!" Kagome sank to her knees and cried, "It can't be!"  
It hurt Folken to see her like this, but he know that she had to know. To not tell her would be the worst thing he had ever done, "She speaks the truth, Kagome-chan. I knew about the attack that demolished it."  
She looked up at him, "How?"  
He sighed, "I was the one that ordered the attack."  
Kagome felt two things start to boil up inside of her, anger and hatred, "How can you do such a thing Folken? That was your homeland! More than that, it was your responsibility to protect it!"  
"I gave that up years ago." He said as he flew away. He knew that there was no chance for Kagome to join, and fight with him now. She would try and stop him. Keep Gaea from it's peaceful future.  
Kagome just watched him go. She could have flown after him, but she didn't want to. "How can you destroy your own kingdom, Folken-sama?"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The others had been watching patiently as Kagome lashed out at the man, now identified as Folken, after hearing the news about the place called Fenalia. SesshouMaru, Kouga, Shippou, Kirara, and Inuyasha were the ones that heard what she said, but only SesshouMaru and Kouga understood how much something like that would pain her, or anyone else.  
Rin walked up to the older girl, and tapped her shoulder, "Kagome- sama are you alright?"  
"Hai, I'm fine, but why did you call me '-sama'?"  
"Because, Kagome-sama, you're an angel, and angels are supposed to be treated with respect."  
Kagome laughed a little, "I'm not an angel, Rin-chan."  
Inuyasha growled, he had enough of this mushy bull-shit! He wanted answers, and he wanted them now! Needless to say, he wasn't happy when Kagome had ignored him. He grabbed her wrist, sending a glare to ward the others away, and proceeded to pull Kagome into the forest while letting out another growl.  
Kagome didn't struggle against Inuyasha's pull. She knew that he had questions, but she also knew that she didn't want to answer them. It shouldn't matter to him that her home was destroyed by the elder brother she had looked up to. So, she wouldn't tell him about it. After all, since when was her personal life any of his business?  
SesshouMaru decided to stay, and have HIS questions answered as well. Of coarse, he didn't plan on being so rash as to drag the girl off into the woods as his brother had done, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to obtain the information he now sought. 'Why dose a human have wings? And where is this 'Fenalia'?'  
Kouga, on the other hand, was in no way oppose to following Inuyasha intent on getting 'his woman' back. He was cut short by Ginta and Hakkaku's restraints. They were not as foolish as to take on Inuyasha whilst he was acting as such. The decided it was best to save Kouga the humiliation, and beating, that surly would have insured from letting the wolf-prince go after the half-breed and the miko.  
Miroku, and Sango found places to sit, and wait, while Inuyasha interrogated Kagome. Shippou took a spot on Sango's shoulder.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
After leading her for a while, Inuyasha stopped and turned, "Who was that, and why do you have wings?"  
"That's not any of your business." Was Kagome's simple reply.  
"Like Hell it isn't! You're my shard detector, I have a right to know."  
"Is that all I am to you, Inuyasha? A shard detector? I should have known. I'm sorry, but I just don't feel like talking to anyone. Good-bye for now."  
"Where are you going to go?"  
"First I'm going to get Hitome, then I'm taking us to her home."  
"Her home?"  
Kagome sighed, "Inuyasha, I am not of this world. I wasn't born on Earth, but Gaea. I was the third child of the King of Fenalia. If Hitome knows of that place she must have been there. And for her to have been there, she must know a way to get there. I'm going to try to go home."  
Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's wrist, "If you want to go back there so much, why did you leave?"  
"I didn't leave, I was forced out." With that said, Kagome walked back to her friends/foes (SesshouMaru is still there), "Come on Hitome-san, I can get you back to your home."  
Hitome took Kagome's hand, and was lifted from the ground. Kagome went strait to the well, and went through to Hitome's time.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
After informing the others of what Kagome planned to do, leaving out everything else, Inuyasha and his group left to go to Keade's village. Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku left to continue their search for Naraku. SesshouMaru, surprisingly, went to the well in Inuyasha's forest. Rin had come with him, and Jaken was sent to make sure that nothing in the castle had gone undone due to slacking servants.  
Inuyasha had yelled at SesshouMaru the first couple of hours, but SesshouMaru ignored him, and watched Rin play with the fox cub. Finally, SesshouMaru could no longer take it. Inuyasha was being too infuriating for even the Western Lord to put up with for long. He promptly grabbed Inuyasha by the neck, and lifted him a foot off the ground, "Stop your complaining half-breed. Your miko has made me most curious, and I refuse to leave before gaining some answers."  
Once dropped Inuyasha shot his half-brother a dirty look, "Feh. I already tried that stupid! What makes you think that she would tell YOU anything when she wont even tell me?!"  
Before SesshouMaru could answer, Kagome's voice was heard, "Maybe he wouldn't be mean about it, and actually use some good etiquette!"  
Inuyasha turned around to see Kagome glaring at him, "But he's tried to kill you!"  
"So have you! Besides, I'm not here to find the jewel. I'm here because Hitome didn't wanna leave the traitor behind when we go to Gaea."  
Inuyasha's ears dropped, and he lost his cocky expression, "You're leaving?"  
Kagome sighed, "I'm coming back. I just wanted to see if what they said was true about Fenalia, and I have to see Van."  
"What dose it matter about some burnt down place? And who's 'Van'? Your boyfriend or something?"  
Kagome made a noise akin to a growl, "He's my brother you JERK!"  
"Feh. I thought Folken was your brother."  
SesshouMaru was getting irked by their senseless bickering, "Did it ever occur to you, brother, that it might be possible for her father to have more than two children?"  
Inuyasha snorted and looked away, while crossing his arms. Kagome just sighed, and started to walk in the direction of the place she had been when she last saw Folken. Inuyasha watched out of the corner of his eye, "How are you going to find him?"  
"I'm going to look."  
SesshouMaru sniffed the air, "I don't think that you'll have to look for much longer."  
Inuyasha also smelt the air, sure enough there was the scent of that guy, Folken. Said guy jumped out of the tree he was in, and walked over to Kagome, "So, you plan on going back?"  
Kagome didn't answer him, she just looked over at Hitome, "You do know how to get back, right?"  
She looked down, "Not really, but I'll try to get us there." She grabbed her necklace, and closed her eyes. She thought about being at Gaea. Apparently, something worked because a great blue light immersed Hitome, Kagome, Folken, and......................................................................... .......Inuyasha and SesshouMaru. 


	3. Third Chapter

Ch3  
  
They all landed in a heap on a sky-ship (I forgot what it's called) that belonged to Allen Schezar, with Merle staring at them all. "H-Hitome?" Asked the young cat-girl.  
"Hai." Said Hitome as they all stood up.  
"But, where's Van-sama, and how did you get here?" She asked.  
Inuyasha and SesshouMaru were eyeing her warily, while Kagome went up to her, "Merle?"  
"Kagome?!" Soon, the cat and Kagome were staring each other down, "Do you know how much you made Van-sama worry!?!"  
"Well maybe if you didn't run away, I wouldn't have left!"  
No one but SesshouMaru noticed Folken's departure. Inuyasha was growling at the 'cat' (Merle), who was hissing at the 'dog' (Inuyasha). A second later, Allen, Van, and the rest of Allen's men came back onto the ship. The were stunned to see the strangers just watching Merle and the dog- man make sounds at each other.  
After a while, Allen cleared his throat. Everyone looked at him, "Who are you, and what are doing on my ship?"  
Kagome saw Van, and hugged him a second before Merle, "Van-san!!!"  
He stared at her wide-eyed, "Ka-Kagome-san?!"  
"Hai!"  
Allen raised an eyebrow, "Kagome Fanel? The one that disappeared years ago?"  
"Wow. I didn't think that anyone outside of the country knew about that."  
"Are you kidding? Balgus sent out search parties for you and Folken."  
Inuyasha growled again, "What the Hell is going on?! Who the Hell are you?! And why the Hell didn't you tell me any of this, Kagome?!" He didn't like just standing there like an idiot.  
SesshouMaru hit him on the back of the head, "Silence whelp. Forgive my brother, he is impatient. I'm sorry that we appeared so unexpectedly, but it was by accident that we wound up here."  
Allen eyed them suspiciously, "And who are you?"  
Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, but Kagome beat him to it, "The taller one is SesshouMaru, he's a King on the Mystic Moon. The one with the ears is his half-brother, Inuyasha."  
Allen bowed, "I am Allen Schezar, Knight of Asturia. (I read that he was a 'Knight of Heaven' for Asturia...but I don't want to make any claims until I know it to be a fact.) And, the people behind me are my men."  
Kagome finally let go of Van, "So, is it ok if we stay here until we can go back to the Mystic Moon?"  
"What do you mean 'go back to the Mystic Moon'?!" Van sounded upset.  
"Well, Folken said that Fenalia was destroyed, and I had to see for myself."  
Van's eyes were downcast, "It was all burnt down by Dilandau. Merle and I were the only survivors."  
"Is there any way that I can go, and pay my respects?"  
"If Allen doesn't mind taking his ship to the ruins."  
Kagome sent a pleading look to Allen, who sighed, "I guess it couldn't hurt. We're going to the ruins of Fenalia."  
Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's arm, intent on dragging her off again, "We have to talk."  
Van pulled out his sword and had it pointed at Inuyasha's throat, "Release my sister."  
"Feh." Inuyasha let go of her, and found a nice corner to sulk in. SesshouMaru sighed and hit Inuyasha again. "What the Hell was that for?!" Inuyasha asked 'nicely'. (Inuyasha being nice to SesshouMaru, yeah right!)  
"It was because you're being an idiot. But then again, I almost forgot that you're nothing more than a worthless half-breed."  
Inuyasha growled, and pulled out his sword, "If I'm so worthless, how come I have the sword?!"  
"Because," SesshouMaru smirked, "I don't need to hide behind father's fang."  
(I'm not sure how to go about writing her vision things, but here I go) Suddenly, Hitome was in a dark room. Inuyasha was fighting SesshouMaru, and Kagome tried to stop them. The brothers didn't see her, and Inuyasha's blade impaled her. "No!" Hitome said right before she fainted.  
Kagome caught her, "Is she alright?"  
"Yeah, follow me." Allen said as he lead Kagome down a hallway, "She has visions like that often. This is a good place to put her for now."  
Kagome laid Hitome on the bed Allen lead her to, "Thanks."  
"For what?"  
"Letting Inuyasha, SesshouMaru, and me be here. And, letting me say goodbye to Fenalia. I loved that place dearly."  
"I think I know how you feel. Loosing something that you care dearly about cannot be easy. You can sleep here, with Hitome and Merle. I'll find room for your two friends." Allen walked out.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Allen had placed SesshouMaru and Inuyasha in a room with Van, and himself. Inuyasha and Van were glaring at each other, while SesshouMaru remained indifferent, and Allen left to tend to the ship.  
After a while, Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore, "What the Hell are you stare'n at?!"  
"Just what are you to Kagome, anyways?!" Van raised an eyebrow.  
Inuyasha blushed, "Uh, well, we, uhm.....Feh." he crossed his arms, "It's none of your business!"  
SesshouMaru rolled his eyes and left the room. Soon, he came across Allen. Curiosity had the best of him, so he asked the knight, "What kind of a place was Fenalia?"  
"Well, I haven't really been there enough to say. From what I've heard, it's a great place, or was. Kagome said that you were a King on the Mystic Moon, right?"  
"Hai. Of the Western Lands."  
"What kind of place is that?" Allen asked, trying to make conversation with the new-comer.  
SesshouMaru sighed, "From my point of view, it's perfect. Wild and untamed, like nature should be."  
"And the inhabitants?"  
"I'm so busy keeping other demons from dominating it, or fighting with Inuyasha, that I've never actually had time to see."  
Allen raised an eyebrow, "You fight with your brother?"  
"Half-brother. And I have to. My father gave him a sword, one that should have been mine. But in stead of giving the blade to me, he left me a useless piece of metal."  
"Yeah, well, fathers are just like that sometimes."  
Suddenly, there was a loud noise from the boys' room. Allen and SesshouMaru rushed to see what was the matter.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
After SesshouMaru left, Van was the first to speak, "She likes you."  
"W-what?" Inuyasha was taken off guard by the statement, and wasn't sure how to react.  
"Kagome. She likes you, I can tell." his glare darkened, "do *anything* to her, and I shall kill you."  
"Feh. Like you could!"  
Van stood up, and drew his sword, "I can, and I will. Know this, Kagome is my *only* family, and I will *not* allow her to get hurt. Especially not from some *dog* like you!" Then, the young King turned around, and started to walk away.  
Inuyasha's eye's narrowed, 'Nobody walks away from me like that!' Without thinking, he lunged at Van, who turned around in enough time to block the henyou's claws with his sword. The force sent them into a wall, with a loud 'CRASH'.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome sat on a bed, and watched Hitome as she slept. 'I'm so bored.' She thought, sighing. 'But that's the least of my problems right now. What am I going to do about Inuyasha, and SesshouMaru? Or... about Folken?' she narrowed her eyes, 'No! I refuse to think about him!' Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a crash. Kagome's eyes widened, 'Oh no! Inuyasha and SesshouMaru must be fighting!' She thought as she ran out of the room. She stopped in the middle of a hall-way, to see Allen holding Van back, while SesshouMaru was doing the same with Inuyasha. "What happened?" She asked.  
"It was *his* fault!" The two boys said at the same time. (Not Allen and SesshouMaru)  
Kagome rolled her eyes, "That's *not* a reason."  
SesshouMaru spoke, "The half-breed and the half-wit got into a fight."  
"I figured that out." She said, "SesshouMaru, could let go of Inuyasha for a second. Oh, and you all might want to back away a bit." The others backed away a bit, and Inuyasha's eye's widened as Kagome spoke, "Inuyasha, OSUWARI!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Folken sat alone and thought to himself, 'Both Van and Kagome don't understand. Why can't they see that, in order to end all of the sadness in the world, Fenalia had to be sacrificed?' He sighed as he stood up and walked out of his room. He soon found who he was looking for, Dilandau.  
Dilandau looked at Folken, "Dunkirk saw the girl. He thinks she would be useful."  
'Kagome?! No, she was at the Mystic Moon when that other girl and I were sent away, and she landed on the other ship.' Folken raised an eyebrow, "He wants you to kidnap the girl that follows Van?"  
"Yes. And when that time comes, I will kill Van!" 


	4. Fourth Chapter

Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha or Escaflowne  
  
(I would like to thank all the people who actually read up to this chapter, and ((especially)) those of you who have reviewed. I also want to deeply apologize for any mistakes I may have made in this fic, concerning character personalities, facts, ect. Anywho.........here's another chapter, enjoy ^.^)  
  
Ch4  
  
Allen's ship soon landed in what used to be Fenalia and Kagome was the first one out of the ship. As she looked upon the wreckage of what used to be her home, the girl clasped onto her knees and cried. Soon someone walked up behind her and put their hand on her shoulder. Without looking, Kagome turned to them, and cried on them.  
"It's alright, Kagome-san. You, Merle, and I aren't dead, so Fenalia isn't either."  
Kagome looked up at Van, "B-but everyone else has died."  
"We don't know that for sure. If Merle got away, who knows, maybe some other people could have escaped as well." He smiled at her, "And when this is all over, we can rebuild Fenalia. Then, all the people who survived will come back and things can be like they were."  
Kagome shook her head, "I told you, Van-san, I have to go back to the Mystic Moon."  
"Well, we'll see. After all, you might just find a reason to stay here.........and away from that Inuyasha guy." Van mumbled the last part to himself.  
"What don't you like about Inuyasha?"  
He smiled at her, "Oh, it's nothing, Kagome-san."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Inuyasha growled as he tried to get past Allen and SesshouMaru, who had made him stay inside the ship when it landed. "Let me go see her, damnit!"  
"Silence, whelp, the last thing anyone needs is for you to make her cry more than she already has!" SesshouMaru growled back.  
"Feh, yeah right! Kagome doesn't need to be out there with Van! He might try to take advantage of her or something!"  
Merle slapped Inuyasha across the face, "He's her brother, pervert! Besides, Van-sama would never take advantage of anyone!"  
"How do you know?!"  
"Because I do!"  
SesshouMaru rolled his eyes as he looked over at Allen, "I'm going to see if they're finished out there. I doubt anyone wants to stay here and listen to those two bicker."  
"I'll go," Allen looked back at Inuyasha and Merle, "If he flies off the handle, you're probebly the best one to keep him out of trouble, or from destroying my ship." He left after SesshouMaru gave him a curt nod.  
SesshouMaru sighed as Inuyasha started to growl at Merle who was, in turn, hissing at him. The regal demon-lord walked over to Inuyasha, and slapped him with enough force to send him flying across the ship, "Whelp, listen and listen good, I will not have you embarrassing our family any more than your existence already dose whilst we are here. Act out of line again, and I shall be forced to kill you!" Then he looked at Merle, who was now afraid of him, "And you, try not to provoke him."  
She nodded, "H-hai."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Allen walked up to Van, who was showing Kagome how much he had improved his fighting skills. "You're still not charging aggressively enough."  
Van turned to him, sword still drawn, "Is that a challenge?"  
"Maybe," Allen said, drawing his sword, "if you think you can take me, that is."  
Kagome stood to the side, a spectator in the battle between Van Fennel, and Allen Schezar. Van charged at Allen, who dodged to the right and went to kick Van's back. Before he could, Van turned around and grabbed Allen's foot. He smirked and started to spin, which lifted Allen off of the ground. Releasing him, Van watched as Allen went flying and landed a few feet away from him. Allen stood up and smiled, "It appears you've improved some, Van. But is it enough?"  
"Shut up and fight!" Van rushed at Allen again, but instead of dodging Allen met the attack head on. Sparks flew as the swords met each other and Allen appeared to be pushing Van back. The young king tried with all of his might to push Allen away, but the knight showed no signs of giving in. Their faces were only a few inches apart as their swords were battling for dominance. Allen's knee came up and hit Van's gut, causing him to falter and give Allen the opportunity to push his upper body back, while taking his feet out from under him.  
Allen smirked at him, his sword to Van's throat, "Guess not." He sheathed his sword and turned to Kagome, "I'm sorry to interrupt your grieving, but we best be heading out. It would be a shame if we were caught here, and be forced to desecrate your country's grave."  
Kagome nodded, "Ok," and ran back to the ship with Allen and Van following close behind.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Hitome woke up and looked around to see Merle looking at her, "What?"  
"Why did you bring those people here? They're weird!"  
"Well, I didn't really mean to. I mean, Kagome wanted to come here, but the other two being here was an accident."  
"Humph! I don't trust them," Merle sat down on the edge of Hitome's bed, "especially not that 'SesshouMaru' guy!"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You should've seen how he treated his brother! He smacked him clear across the ship, then threatened to kill him!"  
Hitome's eyes widened a bit, "K-kill him?"  
Merle nodded, and was about to speak, when Kagome's voice interrupted her, "It's because of Inuyasha's sword." She walked into the room and sat across from the other two girls, "You see, Inuyasha posses Tetseiga which SesshouMaru wants, because he thinks it's his birthright." She sighed, "I really don't understand it myself but, then again, I doubt I know the whole story either."  
Hitome's eyes teared up, "That's horrible! They're brothers, they shouldn't fight like that! It's like Van-san and Folken."  
Kagome's eyes hardened, "No it's not! Van-san deserves to have his revenge on Folken!"  
"And I do not deserve my own birthright?" They all looked at the door to see SesshouMaru. He ignored Merle's glare and looked at Kagome, "I need you to answer some questions, and now seems like the best time for that." Kagome nodded, and followed him as he walked away.  
Merle stood up and started to walk out the door, but stopped when Hitome grabbed her by the wrist. Looking back she bristled, "What?!"  
"Merle-san, you're not going to follow them, are you?"  
"Of coarse I am! If anything happens to Kagome, Van-sama will be very upset! Now let go of me!"  
Hitome sighed, "Just don't get caught, alright?" The cat-girl didn't answer as she left and Hitome shook her head, sighing again, "I might as well see if Inuyasha's alright. If what Merle said about SesshouMaru hitting him into a wall is true, he might need medical attention of some kind."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
SesshouMaru lead Kagome to an empty room, curtsey of Allen Schezar, and sat down, motioning for her to do the same (after closing the door). Kagome sat down and waited for the demon-lord to say something. After a minute of silence, Kagome got impatient, "I thought you said that you had something to ask me about."  
"I do." SesshouMaru answered, looking at the door in stead of her.  
Kagome rolled her eyes, "Well, what did you want to know?"  
SesshouMaru looked at Kagome, "Wait. We are not alone." Before Kagome could respond, he stood up and opened the door. Merle toppled into the room, and smiled innocently at the pair, "So, heh heh heh, what's up?"  
SesshouMaru growled, "Why were you following us?"  
"Because!" Merle said, as though that were actually an answer.  
"Because why?" SesshouMaru's voice was deathly calm, and it was starting to get on Merle's nerves.  
"Because, how do I know that you're not going to try to kill everyone on this ship, starting with Kagome!" Merle bristled at him.  
SesshouMaru fought the urge to roll his eyes, "And I would kill everyone on a ship that I, myself, cannot pilot because.........?"  
"Because you can!"  
Kagome stood up and walked over to Merle, "Listen, SesshouMaru might be murderous, cold-blooded, and maybe even a tad bit evil, but I doubt he would lure people, one by one, into a small room to kill them when they least expect it. He has too much honor for that, so why don't you go annoy Van-san some, ok?"  
Merle hissed at her, "I think I will. And don't come crying to me when he kills you!" then she ran off.  
Kagome rolled her eyes and yelled down the hall, "I CAN'T COME CRYING TO *ANYONE* IF I'M DEAD, AND IF I COULD, IT WOULDN'T BE *YOU*!" she looked at SesshouMaru, "So, what is it that you wanted to ask me?"  
SesshouMaru went back to where he was sitting before, "I wanted to know about your wings. You smell human, act human, and look human most of the time, so how is it that you have them? And, if you are originally from this world, what were you doing on Earth, in a different time from the one you were sent to, no less?"  
"Listen, SesshouMaru-sama, I really don't want to talk to anyone about that. But if you must know, I have wings because I'm not exactly human. I'm no too sure about how to explain this, either. My people all have wings and used to live in a place called 'Atlantis'. My mother told me about it once, when I was younger, but I forgot the story a long time ago." Kagome stood up and started to walk away, "But all this must be boring you, so I'll go. See you later, SesshouMaru-sama."  
SesshouMaru stood up, 'The story of 'Atlantis'? Why dose that sound so familiar to me?' He sighed, and decided to not think about it for now. Instead, he decided to see what Allen was up to, and see what he can find out about this place, Gaea.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Inuyasha sat in his room, sulking because of how SesshouMaru had humiliated him. Suddenly, he smelt that girl Kagome was talking to, Hitome, coming his way. 'Just great,' he thought, sarcastically, to himself, 'I bet she's coming 'cause she feels bad for the way SesshouMaru treated me. That's the last thing I want right now!'  
Hitome walked in and smiled at Inuyasha, "Are you alright?"  
"Feh," Inuyasha crossed his arms, "Of coarse I am! Why wouldn't I be?!"  
"Because," Hitome sat down next to Inuyasha, ignoring how he glared at her, "your brother attacked you for no reason. At least none that I can see."  
"Yeah, well, he dose that all the time! It's not like it's much of a surprise."  
Hitome looked at Inuyasha with sorrow filled eyes, "So, your older brother has picked on you before?"  
"Picked on me?!" Inuyasha scoffed, "Yeah right, like he could! He knows I'd kick his ass any day of the week!"  
Hitome sighed and stood up, "So, you're alright?"  
"Isn't that what I said before?!"  
"Then, I guess I'll go. Oh, and Inuyasha," Hitome looked back at the henyou before walking out the door, "Be careful when you're fighting him. If your not, someone might get hurt."  
"I already told you, I can kick his ass anytime, so stop worrying about me!"  
"I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about Kagome." that said, Hitome walked out of the room, leaving Inuyasha to ponder what she just said.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Folken sat in his darkened room as Dilandau prepared the Dragon Slayers for their upcoming battle. Folken sighed as he tried to ignore the sound of them cheering for, what they were sure would be, their upcoming victory. He would soon be going to Asturia's capital city (I forgot it's name. Sorry T.T) in order to get to the king before Allen could come, and warn him of the danger Zaibach 's forces hold for the peaceful country.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Allen stood at the stern of his air-ship, overlooking the world as it passed by. His thoughts wondered to what he would do once they arrived at Asturia's capital. So lost he was in his thoughts, he failed to notice SesshouMaru walking up behind him.  
"So," Allen almost jumped at the sudden sound that came from the Taiyoukia, "where are we headed this time?"  
Allen looked back at him, "Asturia's capital city. We're going to inform the king of Zaibach's recent attack of his country. With any luck, we might be able to get reinforcements to destroy them."  
SesshouMaru turned his gaze out the window, "I spoke with Kagome about her wings, and she told me that it had something to with 'Atlantis'." He looked at the knight, "Do you happen to know anything about this 'Atlantis' or it's people?"  
Allen chuckled, "So many questions I've heard from you, SesshouMaru- sama. Curiosity killed the cat, you know?"  
SesshouMaru smirked, "Then it is quit fortunate that I happen to be a dog."  
"A dog are you?" Allen raised an eyebrow, "Should one of your status think of yourself so lowly?"  
"Lowly? I hardly see my species as being lowly, Allen-san. (guys use '-san' for their friends, right?) In case you have yet to notice, I am a dog demon, and my half-brother is half that."  
"I see." Allen said, looking back out the window.  
SesshouMaru, also, gazed at the outside world as he spoke, "You seem to be avoiding the subject."  
"Yes, I believe I am."  
Suddenly, and without warning, the ship started to shake. Gaddes (sp?) ran up to them, "Allen-sama, we're under attack! It's Zaibach, they seem to have found us somehow!"  
"I see." Allen's gaze hardened, "Man the battle-stations, and inform Van. Him, and Escaflowne, might be of some help to us." After Gaddes left to perform his task, Allen turned back to SesshouMaru, "I'm sorry to cut this conversation short, but, as you might be able to tell, this is hardly the time for idle chit-chat."  
SesshouMaru nodded, "Inuyasha and I shall do all in our power to assist you."  
"I'm not sure there is much you can do, but it is greatly appreciated." Without another word, Allen left to defend his ship from the enemy. 


	5. Fifth Chapter

Disclaimer- I don't own Escaflowne, I don't own Inuyasha, I SWEAR I DON'T!!! Please don't sue me.  
  
Ch5  
  
Merle was talking to Van when Gaddes had come and told them of the attack. It's not like he had to inform them, seeing as the entire ship was shaking violently and Allen's soldiers were running about, yelling orders to each other. Van had left to pilot Escaflowne in the upcoming battle, and Merle was by a window, watching the battle. It worried her every time Van fought with his Guymelef, Escaflowne. She sighed, 'It's like he's a different person when he fights.' She looked at him once more, "Oh, Van- sama, please don't die."  
  
Kagome left her room to see what all the shaking was about, and wasn't too surprised to see Inuyasha bickering with SesshouMaru about something. Not really caring what they were talking about, she walked passed them to stand by Merle. The cat-girl seemed to be depressed about something as she gazed out the window.  
Kagome stood next to her for a while, and was startled when Merle spoke, "Oh, Van-sama, please don't die."  
Kagome looked over at her, "What?"  
"Huh?" Merle looked over, "Van-sama is out there fighting."  
"Fighting?" Kagome looked out and noticed Escaflowne had gone to it's dragon form, and Van was trying to lead the enemy away, "But, who is he fighting?"  
"Zaibach. They're the ones that-" Merle was cut off by Inuyasha's yelling.  
"-THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL THAT I'M LETTING YOU DO THAT!" The only reason Inuyasha stopped was because SesshouMaru's hand wrapped itself around his neck.  
"Listen, half-breed, those enemies are like nothing I've seen before, and getting close to them would be more than difficult for you. I refuse to stand by and watch as you go and get killed because you refuse to listen to reason!"  
Kagome ran over to them, "What's going on?!"  
Inuyasha struggled to speak, "The basterd's.........trying...to keep......me in here......"  
"What Inuyasha's trying to say is that he wanted to charge out, recklessly, and fight." SesshouMaru released his sibling's neck, "But it is quite obvious that they are like nothing we've ever dealt with before. There is a chance that swinging Tetseiga around, aimlessly, won't save him."  
Kagome rolled her eyes, "Those things that the people are piloting are called 'Guymelefs'. They're like robots. I've seen Balgus take one down with just a sword, so I'm pretty sure it's possible, but" she looked at SesshouMaru, "there would be a much better chance if you fought them in your true form."  
SesshouMaru scoffed, "You seem to be forgetting something. I can no longer move very well in me true form, seeing as I am missing an arm." He glared daggers at Inuyasha. Kagome stepped closer to him, and moved the sleeve that covered where his arm used to be. SesshouMaru grabbed her wrist, "What do you think you're doing?"  
"Giving you your arm back," Kagome yanked her wrist out of his grasp and held his sleeve up. With her other hand, she concentrated her miko energy on the nub where his arm used to be and closed her eyes. 'Please grow back.' As if hearing her silent plea, SesshouMaru's arm began to grow back. First the bone structure appeared, then the nerves, muscle, and tissue, and finally flawless skin covered it, complete with two maroon stripes to match the ones on his other arm. "There, happy now?!"  
After inspecting his arm SesshouMaru nodded, "It would appear that I will be able to help out after all." Ignoring the confused glances, SesshouMaru looked at Kagome, "I thank you for my arm. It would have taken decades to grow back on it's own."  
As he started to walk away, Inuyasha followed behind, "Oh no you don't! I'm not being left behind!"  
  
Allen stood on top of his ship, inside of his Guymelef, and fought off any enemy that dared attack him. His vigil watch over any and all movement the enemy made was disrupted when he saw SesshouMaru standing calmly next to him. 'What the Hell?' he thought as the demon lord's body began to change, and the air picked up. By the time it was over, Lord SesshouMaru was no longer standing next to him, and in his stead, was a giant white dog. This distraction, of coarse, did not come without consequence. While Allen was watching this, one of the Dragon Slayers had snuck up behind him, and slashed through his back with a sword. (when I say 'his', or 'him', I mean his Guymelef.........in case you haven't figured that out already) This caused Allen to stumble forward a bit before turning around in time to block another strike. The sheer force of this second strike was enough to push Allen back.........and off the ship.  
  
SesshouMaru saw Allen fall, and was about to rush after him, but he stopped when he saw Allen's attacker turn towards him. Without any further thought, SesshouMaru pounced it, and bit off it's head. Swiftly, the poison from SesshouMaru's fangs melted away at the machine, and soon all that was left was a pile of mush. Looking over the edge, SesshouMaru couldn't see anything below other than the rapids of the river they had been flying over.  
Growling, SesshouMaru looked around to see a few more foes that were surrounding him. They shot out, what looked to be, harpoons, but SesshouMaru dodged all of it, and was about to attack them, but Inuyasha beat him to it. The half-breed had made his way to the top of the air-ship, and was now using Tetseiga against them. He leapt into the air, and cut one of them in half, strait down the middle. SesshouMaru used his front claws to make a diagonal cut down the other one, and paid little attention to the exploration it caused.  
He was more concerned with the fire that seemed to be coming from inside of the ship. Inuyasha jumped onto his back and said, "I don't know what happened, but they've managed to hit this thing's engines. I suggest you make for the water, 'cause we're going down." Jumping off of him, Inuyasha turned and yelled, "AND DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY! WHEN I'M FINISHED GETTING KAGOME, I HAD BETTER SEE YOU WAITING FOR US!"  
SesshouMaru, who decided to ignore the fact that the half-breed had stood on his back as though he were some kind of mule, growled at Inuyasha, 'Honestly! Thinking I would run away! Besides, where the Hell would I go?!' SesshouMaru reverted to his humanoid form, and stayed a few yards above the water using his youkia-cloud.  
  
Something blasted through the ship, and all Kagome heard was Hitome's scream. In a panic, she ran to their room, to find a gaping hole in the wall, and her friend gone. "Hitome-san!" Kagome called, hoping to hear an answer, "HITOME-SAN!!!"  
Merle ran in right behind her, "Oh no! They took Hitome!"  
Suddenly, Inuyasha jumped through the hole, "C'mon, Kagome, we gotta get the Hell outta here before this thing goes down!"  
"What about Allen or his crew?" Kagome asked, afraid he'd want to leave them behind.  
"I don't know about Allen, and the rest of them aren't important, now come on! We don't have time for this crap!" Inuyasha bent down and Kagome got on his back, along with Merle. "Oh, Hell no! There's no way I'm giving her a ride too!"  
Kagome made a growl that could rival SesshouMaru's, "Listen, Inuyasha, Merle may not be my friend but that doesn't mean that I'm going to leave her here!"  
"Fine, fine, whatever!" Inuyasha said as he jumped out of the hole.  
Merle held onto the half-breed as tightly as she could whilst Kagome lost her grip and began plummeting towards the ground. Kagome closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the impact that never came. Peaking and eye open, Kagome looked up to see SesshouMaru staring down his nose at her.  
"Honestly, humans." She heard him mutter to himself.  
Disregarding his last comment, Kagome looked to the side to see Inuyasha trying to peel Merle off his back. There didn't seem to be much progress, since Merle still thought they were falling and dug her claws into his back. Standing up, Kagome looked back at SesshouMaru, "Do you know what happened to Allen-sama or Hitome-san?"  
"I don't know what happened to the girl, or your brother for that matter, but I saw Allen's Guymelef plummet into the water below us. I haven't seen any sign of him since then."  
"Oh." Kagome's eyes became downcast, "I know that I saw Van-san leading away one of the enemy Guymelefs, but I don't know where he went. And I think that Hitome was kidnapped by Zaibach." She looked up as SesshouMaru with pleading eyes, "Is there any way you can find out where Van-san is by sniffing him out or something? I have to know he's safe." She said that last part more to herself than SesshouMaru.  
The regal demon lord nodded, "I believe I can. But first, see what you can do to stop the half-breed from squirming around and get that girl off of him, it's annoying me."  
Kagome nodded, "Yeah, sure."  
Walking over to them, Kagome grabbed hold of Merle's waist and held it tightly. "Osuwari." She said, causing Inuyasha to fall to the ground. As he fell, Merle stayed still and her claws came out of him... in a painful way.  
SesshouMaru merely smirked as Inuyasha said some rather 'colorful' words. Kagome rolled her eyes, and ignored him. Merle looked around, when she figured out they were actually on some sort of ground. After a while she asked the question that everyone had given at least one second's thought to, "Where do we go now?"  
"Feh! I'll tell you where we go, we go home!" He growled at Merle, "And you're staying here in the water!"  
"I'd like to see you try, dog-boy!"  
"And what, exactly, is so bad about dogs?" SesshouMaru raised an eyebrow.  
Merle crossed her arms, and held up her chin in an arrogant fashion, "Everything! For one, they're not nearly as clean as cats, and another thing about them that pisses me off is that they're all stupid, arrogant-"  
Kagome covered Merle's mouth before she could say anything else, "I think it's time for you to be quiet, Merle. Unless, that is, you want to be ripped limb from limb."  
Inuyasha spoke, "I think I got it. That Hitome girl must have been kidnapped by the enemy, but none of us know too much about said enemy. If we can find Allen, there's a good chance he'll be able to help. SesshouMaru, you turn into your true form and swim in the water, while we-"  
SesshouMaru cut him off, "Ride on my back? I think not. If anything, I'll drop you all off on the nearest bit of land, and look for him myself," he smirked, "besides, if I let you on my back again, Inuyasha, I just might get flees."  
"What was that?!" Inuyasha growled.  
Kagome stepped between the two brothers, "Listen, we're not going to get anywhere by fighting, ok? What we need to do is come up with some sort of plan. So far we know two things, A) we need to find Allen, B) Hitome's been taken by the enemy."  
"What about Van-sama?" Merle asked.  
Kagome sighed, "He'll just have to make it on his own for now. But we'll find him later. Besides, Van-san can take care of himself, so don't worry." Merle nodded as Kagome and the others came up with a plan.  
  
Van, who was riding in Escaflowne's non-dragon form, stabbed the last of the three Dragon-slayers that had followed him in it's power-core (I forgot what it was called) before sighing to himself, 'I hope everyone else is doing fine.' After Escaflowne transformed back into it's dragon-form, he started to head back in the direction from whence he came, "Why do I have this bad feeling?" he questioned to himself.  
  
Dilandau laughed as he returned to Zaibach's main floating city, "Well, Van, let's see how you do without your woman there to save you." He landed his Guymelef, and picked up Hitome, who was still unconscious from when he had entered her room, after breaking down the wall, and hit one of the pressure points on her neck. He carried her over his shoulder to the main room, where Folken was waiting. "Oi, Strategos where do I put her?"  
Folken looked at the girl in Dilandau's arms, and recognized her as the girl that was with Van, "Put her in the same room that the king of Fenalia was held in."  
Dilandau walked to the room, and dropped her on the bed. As he was walking away, he heard her talking, and turned to see that she was talking in her sleep. All that he could make was, "Don't... burn... Van... kill..." Ignoring her words as just a nightmare, Dilandau walked out of the room, and went to check on the rest of the Dragon-slayers.  
  
Hitome's Dream  
  
Hitome stood, surrounded by a light blue glow, watching as Dilandau, in his red Guymelef, was burning everything in sight. "Don't..." she murmured, listening to the echoed cries of the helpless people that were running away from the flames that soon engulfed them. She watched as Van, in his Escaflowne, came to stop Dilandau. She couldn't decide what to make of the new feeling that arose within her as she watched the flames dance around the, now fighting, Guymelefs, "burn..." She couldn't help but notice how beautiful the flames seemed, the perfect mixture of oranges, yellows, and blues. Nor could she ignore the color of the blood that stained the ground she was on. The marvelous red that was beginning to cover everything, "kill..."  
  
(Yes, it took a long time. Yes, it sucks. And yes, I can't decided whether or not Hitome was telling the people not to run from the flames, or not to die... but by the end of the story I'm sure we'll have it all figured out... hopefully. ((PS. because of this new 'quick edit' thing, the spaceing in my story and the (((squigly line, star))) things keep getting removed and fucked up. if there is any problem, I appologize, but there's nothing i can do about it.)) Bah-bye) 


	6. Sixth Chapter

Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha or Escaflowne.  
  
Ch6  
  
Van returned to the spot where the Crusade had been when he left to see a giant dog swimming downstream. Thinking it was from Zaibach, he swooped down, ready to attack in Escaflowne's dragon form, but stopped when he saw who it was that was riding the dog. Deciding not to attack just yet, Van hovered over the water and called out, "Kagome?"  
Kagome looked up at him, "Van, what took you so long?"  
"They were more skilled than I thought but... where's the Crusade, and those guys you were with?"  
"Well," Kagome said, "the Crusade had to land soon after the battle was over, and Inuyasha's helping them repair it-"  
"Repair it?" Van repeated.  
Kagome nodded, "Yeah, a Guymelef tore open part of one of the walls and kind of..." Kagome trailed off.  
"What happened?"  
"They took Hitomi." Before Van could leave in a fit of rage and go looking for Zaibach, Kagome stopped him, "Van wait, you can't just go charging in there like that! You'll be killed!"  
"No I won't, I'll save Hitomi!" Van said as he started to fly off. The young king would have made it farther, had Inuyasha chosen not to look up at the sky after hearing Kagome's yelling, and pushed Van off of Escaflowne. The dragon landed, and Van hit the ground hard enough to get knocked out, but soft enough to not get too injured.  
Kagome sighed as she sat down on SesshouMaru's head (he's in his true form), and started to look down at the water in hopes of finding Allen. SesshouMaru also watched out for Allen, while cursing Kagome for somehow tricking him into letting her ride on him downstream and back for the search.  
  
(((--Flashback--)))  
  
SesshouMaru and Inuyasha were arguing about how the search for Allen would go about, as Merle just argued with everything either dog said. Kagome rubbed her head in a failing attempt to save herself the headache that she was beginning to feel as she yelled, "SHUT UP!" Everyone's mouth closed, and all eyes turned towards Kagome, "Listen, SesshouMaru is the only one that can swim against the current after Allen is found, so he's the only one that can go looking. Inuyasha, Merle, and I will go and help the Crusade, since it's damaged, and I think I saw it land not far from here. Any objections?!"  
As Kagome glared at everyone, Inuyasha was the only person that decided to speak, "Hell yeah I have objections! For one, there's no way that I trust SesshouMaru to not just run off, leave us here, and find a way home alone. And another thing, there's no way in Hell that I'm going to help fix something, that I didn't even break to begin with!"  
"Inuyasha," SesshouMaru stared down his nose at his little half- brother, "this SesshouMaru is not going to 'run off', as you put it, nor am I going to waist my time listening to you while Allen is drowning. Unlike most of the others this SesshouMaru has met, Allen is a human that I can actually stand to be around with decapitation being an issue."  
Before Merle could put in her share of complaints, Kagome spoke again, "Fine! I'll go with SesshouMaru to make sure nothing happens, Merle you make sure Inuyasha helps with the crusade, and Inuyasha, if you refuse to help I'll sit you until you can no longer stand!" Inuyasha fell face- first to the ground, and the others split up to do as planned.  
  
(((--End Flashback--)))  
  
SesshouMaru's thoughts were cut off when Kagome yelled that she saw something, and SesshouMaru took a breath before lowing his head, mostly into the water, for Kagome to grab what she saw. The girl grabbed the arm that was sticking out of the water, and pulled it, and the body it was attached to, onto SesshouMaru. "He's not breathing," Kagome muttered to herself as she stared down at Allen. She took a breath and lowed her head to his in order to give him CPR. SesshouMaru took his face out of the water, and turned around to go back towards the Crusade.  
Allen coughed up water and opened his eyes to see Kagome's smiling face. The Knight of Heaven sat up, wincing slightly, "What happened to the Dragon Slayers?"  
"They took Hitomi and went back to where ever their base was, but-" Kagome stopped talking when SesshouMaru jumped out of the water, and onto the shore, "but I don't think anyone knows where that is," she finished.  
Allen nodded as SesshouMaru bent down so that he, and Kagome, could get off. Once they were off of his back, SesshouMaru transformed back to his humanoid form. He looked at the sky before speaking, "Enough time has passed for them to have gone a great distance by now."  
The other two nodded, and Allen was about to add in his thoughts when Inuyasha came running over, followed by Van. Inuyasha glared at SesshouMaru, "Keh, it took you long enough!" SesshouMaru's only response was a growl.  
"Allen," Van said, "they-"  
"took Hitomi," Allen finished the other boy's sentence, "Yes, I know. The real problem is finding Zaibach's floating fortress."  
"Just use the same method you used last time!" Van growled out, clearly anxious to find Hitomi.  
Allen glared at the young king, "I would, but it was Hitomi that found it for us!"  
Merle, who had followed Van, decided to chime in, "Just get the dogs to sniff the way out, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for them."  
"What was that?!" Inuyasha growled at the cat-girl.  
SesshouMaru sniffed the air slightly before turning to Van, "How bad did the ship look?"  
"It would take some time to finish, by nightfall at least. Why?"  
"The scent is still in the air, and if the ship is fixed quickly, I will be able to track it."  
Inuyasha sniffed around, "I don't smell anything!"  
"That, Inuyasha, is because of your inferior henyou nose."  
With the plan made everyone decided to rest up as much as they can, after Kagome sat Inuyasha for trying to kill SesshouMaru.  
  
(((((((-)))))))  
  
Dilandau went back to his room, after slapping his Dragon Slayers around a bit, and was now sitting in his chair and drinking some wine. Dilandau was waiting for the order to attack, and he hated waiting. There were only two things that the pyromaniac hated more than waiting and those were Van, and being alone. Of course, he was waiting, alone in his room, for the order to kill Van, and none of that sat very well with him. Deciding that he needed something to do, anything to do, Dilandau got up and walked out the door, intent on interrogating his 'guest'.  
  
(((((((-)))))))  
  
Hitomi tossed and turned on the little cot that she was on, but she couldn't get any sleep, so she opened her eyes and sat up, taking a quick glance around. The room was dark, but she could still make out the form of someone sitting in a chair that was in front of the bed. The figure stood up, and walked towards her, allowing her to see who the person was. The girl's eyes widened, "D-Dilandau!"  
Dilandau smirked, "So, you remember me? I seem to remember seeing you... now when was that? Ah yes, you were standing behind Van when I spoke to Allen. I remember now. You never did answer my question because Allen had interrupted, stating that you were his lover. Now then, mind telling me why it is that whenever you're around, my plans fail?"  
"I...uhm..." Hitomi fumbled with words, and shrunk back in the cot.  
"You what?" Dilandau asked taking a step foreword, and enjoying how frightened she looked as she gazed at him.  
Before Hitomi could say anything, or Dilandau could get any closer to her, Folken walked in, "Dilandau, shouldn't you be out beating Chesta (sp?) or something?" Dilandau glared at Hitomi, then Folken, before leaving. Folken looked at Hitomi, "Dunkirk-sama wishes to have some of his sorcerers look you over."  
"S-sorcerers?" Hitomi questioned nervously.  
Folken nodded, "Yes. Don't worry, I'm going to be there to make sure they don't do anything too drastic."  
Hitomi looked at him questioningly, "Why would you do that for me?"  
"Because I have no desire to see anyone get hurt," Folken said as he lead Hitomi out of the room, and down the halls.  
  
(((((((-)))))))  
  
Kagome sat watching as SesshouMaru helped Allen, and his men, to fix the Crusade. She looked over to see Inuyasha looking at her, "Yeah, what is it?"  
Inuyasha shrugged, "Noth'n. I was just thinking about something."  
"Really? About what?"  
"Just stuff."  
Kagome rolled her eyes, "Gee, thanks for being specific."  
Inuyasha half-heartedly glared at her for a second before talking, "Well, you have wings, and that's really weird and all, but why do you keep them hidden like you do?"  
"I guess it's 'cause they get in the way sometimes."  
"Feh, yeah right," Inuyasha said.  
"What?"  
"You know what. I don't think that's the only reason. Now come on, Kagome, you know you can tell me anything."  
Kagome sighed, "It happened a year before I was taken away from Gaea, back when I was five..."  
  
(((--Flashback--)))  
  
Kagome smiled as she played with Van, and Merle. They wanted to play hide and seek, and Kagome was it. She snuck up, as quietly as she could, on Merle, and yanked the cat-girl's tail, "Tag! Merle's it!"  
Merle glared at her, "Nah-ah! You cheated!"  
"Did not!" Kagome glared back.  
"Did too! You never gave me the chance to run!"  
Folken, who had been watching, walked over, "Well, Merle, sometimes you don't have any time to run away."  
"You're only saying that 'cause she's your sister," Merle crossed her arms.  
Folken laughed at the look Kagome was giving Merle before he spoke, "I'll tell you what, I'll be it next time, ok?"  
All three kids nodded, and ran off in different directions as Folken closed his eyes and counted. Van hid in a barrel, and Merle was behind a bush that wasn't very far away from Van. Kagome had gone the opposite direction from the other two, and was hiding as far up the tallest tree she could get to in the short amount of time. Folken saw the movement of the leaves, and climbed up after her. Van and Merle came out of their hiding places to watch as the two siblings climbed higher and higher up the tree.  
Kagome reached for a branch, when the bough she was on broke, and the five-year-old started to fall. Folken reached out to grab her, but missed, "KAGOME!" he yelled.  
Kagome closed her eyes, and did the next thing that came to mind. She showed her wings. Kagome managed to land safely, and opened her eyes to see some of the townspeople staring at her for a second before they started to talk amongst themselves. They were talking about the curse of Atlantis, and things of that sort. The talking ceased when a stone flew out of the crowd and hit Kagome on the head. Soon, the first stone was fallowed by more, until Balgus came out. Kagome ran away, teary-eyed, as the Samurai of Fenalia scolded the crowd of people.  
  
(((--End Flashback--)))  
  
Inuyasha nodded, "Yeah, I know what that's like."  
Kagome looked at Inuyasha, "Sorry if that story brought up any bad memories or anything."  
"It's ok," Inuyasha shrugged, "But still, I don't see why you got hit with rock, when they shoulda been aim'n for that cat girl."  
Kagome laughed, "Inuyasha, that's mean."  
"Well, I never said I was Mr. Friendly, or anything."  
Merle looked over at them, "Hey, you two better not be talking about me!"  
Kagome waved her hand up and down, "Oh don't worry, we're not."  
Merle shot them a quick glare before going back to following Van around, and repeatedly asking him what she should do to help. An hour or two after the sun was down, the Crusade was back in working order, and everyone was ready to leave. SesshouMaru stood on the top of the air-ship while Van went to his room to think. Inuyasha was on the roof, by SesshouMaru, trying to pick up a scent, but mainly to stay away from Merle. Kagome was talking to Gaddes, and Allen, about what would be done once they reached their destination, and Merle was staring at Van, and wishing him the best of luck for when they reach Zaibach.  
  
(((((((-)))))))  
  
After a few hours passed, a plan had been made. It had been decided that it would be better if they split up, with some people going to Asturia's main palace to warn them of the danger of Zaibach, while a smaller group went to rescue Hitomi, since it would be easier to sneak in there and save her, instead of staging a full-scale attack. The group to stage the rescue consisted of Van, his Escaflowne being the form of transporting, and SesshouMaru who had the trail. Despite Merle's complaining, she, and everyone else, would got to warn the Asturian King of Zaibach.  
Van got in Escaflowne, and changed it to it's dragon-form, and waited for SesshouMaru to get on. After a quick goodbye from Kagome and Merle, the two were left.

(Really quick appology for any and all errors... and that's about it. Review I guess...)


	7. Auther's Note I hate doing this

Just to let all of you know, my computer has been screwed up severly (thanks to my mom -.-) and I will not be able to update for a while. I'm writing this at a computer which dosen't have Microsoft Word (which I usually use). That means that I am using 'Notepad' and, in case you didn't know, I HATE 'Notepad' with every fiber of my being. So I'm pretty sure that every other word is mispelled (I'm a horrible speller), and most of you are about ready to kill me. (You're not aloud to kill me until I kill the computer breaker... GRR) So... that's all that I have to say... Until the next time I can update, Bah-Bye. T.T 


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